Fine Detail Plastic

Also known as Frosted Detail Plastic, Resin-based Acrylic Plastic, Photopolymer

Colors

About Fine Detail Plastic

Fine Detail Plastic is an acrylic material capable of extremely high detail and is a popular choice for hobbyists creating scale models, miniature sets, and other decorative products. Although the surface can be uneven in color due to the nature of the printing process, most people opt to paint their models. Due to the smooth surface, occasionally, models are used to make mold masters. This material is not recommended for functional parts due to its brittleness.

Common Applications

Scale Models, Miniatures, Jewelry Prototypes, Mold Masters

Material Properties

High Detail & Dimensional Accuracy

Smooth surface

Translucency for Thin Walls

Handling and Care

Heatproof to 56C/132F

Watertight

Not Foodsafe

Poor UV Resistance

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Frequently Asked Questions

What finishes are available?

Smooth: This finish offers a smooth surface and high detailSmoothest: This finish is capable of the highest detail and smoothest surface

How is this material made?

The process used is called material jetting. Molten plastic is deposited onto an aluminum build platform in layers using several nozzles, essentially like a large print that sweeps across the build layer. As the heated material jets onto the build plate, it solidifies instantly. After each layer is deposited, it is cured, or polymerized, by a wide area UV lamp. The next layer then applied, and through this repeated process layers of thermoplastic build up into a model. When printing is finished, we remove the models from the tray and put them into an oven that melts away the wax support material. Next, we put the models into an a ultrasonic oil bath to remove any remaining wax residues, and then a ultrasonic water bath to remove any oil on the model. After drying, we inspect and ship the models.

How can I paint the material myself?

What is the color and surface texture?

The color of Fine Detail Plastic ranges from clear translucent to yellow-tinted translucent. It utilizes a waxy support material that is dissolved after printing is completed. Because the support material slightly changes the texture of the product, and isn't applied to the entire product, you will see slight variability in texture over the surface of the model. Areas where the waxy support material supported the model during printing may also appear more white than the rest of your model.

Applications

Technology

BOUNDING BOX

Maximum

282 × 181 × 150 mm (Smooth)
282 × 181 × 100 mm (Smoothest)

Minimum

X + Y + Z > 12 mm

Your model should be within the minimum and maximum bounding box sizes. The maximum bounding box represents the largest model that our printers can produce. The minimum bounding box size is the smallest dimension in which we can print in this material.

WALL THICKNESS

Min Supported Wall Thickness

0.3 mm

Min Unsupported Wall Thickness

0.6 mm

A wall is a feature with a continuous surface having a length and height greater than its thickness. A supported wall is connected on two or more sides. An unsupported wall is connected to another wall on only one side. Walls in your model must meet the minimum measurements to ensure your model is undamaged through the printing and cleaning process. Thin walls are prone to warping during printing and are fragile to clean. Objects that meet the minimum requirements may still be rejected based on the geometry in which case our production team will communicate with you if the design needs improvements and can assist you to strengthen your model.

A wire is a slender, string-like feature, usually circular in cross-section, but may also be square, rectangular, or triangular depending on the application. A wire typically has a length about 10 times longer than its diameter or cross-sectional thickness. Wires that are under our suggested minimums are prone to breaking in the cleaning process.

SPRUES

1.0 mm diameter (or thinnest dimension if not circular)

Sprues are wires that hold several parts together and tend to be removed by the customer after receiving the model. Sprues need to be connected to at least two sides of the parts and the support material generated for sprues should not interfere with the models' structures. If sprues are placed above parts will result in rougher surfaces from excess support material than would not be necessary if the parts were printed separately without sprues. Since sprues often support larger masses relative to their size, the sprue thickness should be greater than a standard wire. See "Wires" for more details.

SURFACE DETAILS

Min embossed detail

0.1 mm thick, high & wide

Min engraved detail

0.1 mm high & wide

We recommend these minimum measurements for details like embossing or engraving, based on printer resolution.

ESCAPE HOLES

Multiple Escape Hole Diameter

4.0 mm diameter

Hollow parts of your product are filled in with a waxy support material, which is melted out before we ship your product. If escape holes are not large enough, this wax will remain inside the product. Models with only one escape hole may be printed as PITA (Print it Anyway), although we cannot guarantee all the wax will be cleaned from the part. We recommend placing escape holes on opposite ends of hollow cavities and on surfaces that are less visible.

A single escape hole at the end of a cavity will not allow material in the corners near the escape hole to fully escape. So we recommend multiple escape holes at both ends of the cavity.

CLEARANCE

0.05 mm

Clearance is the space between any two parts.

INTERLOCKING AND ENCLOSED PARTS ?

Interlocking: Yes.
Enclosed: No, since support wax will remain between fully enclosed parts.

MULTIPLE PARTS ?

Yes

ACCURACY

±0.3- 0.7 mm for every 100 mm

DESIGN TIPS

Orientation

The 3D printer places support wax to every cavity, overhang, and negative angle to support the layers of plastic that comes above it.
The surface that's touching wax will be rougher and might display some whitening, where the surface that's not supported by wax is smooth and clear.

Our 3D printing engineers make do their best to orient models in a way that gives the best quality for most crucial surfaces. You can also set your own orientation at the model edit page.

PRICING

Support Volume* - the amount of support material required to 3D print your product

Number of parts - a part is a piece of a model that can be separated from other pieces of the model

Production - associated production costs including labor; quality control; machine maintenance; general utilities; and other supporting services required to 3D print your product

* Fine Detail Plastic is printed on a build plate, where the print head deposits liquid plastic layer by layer, starting at the bottom. To overcome gravity, the 3D printer surrounds the cured plastic with wax that will support the layers that come above. So every cavity, overhang, and negative angle requires support in wax. That wax gets melted away after the product emerges from the 3D printer.

Is there a minimum price per model?

Models need to meet the following minimums:

Minimum price per model

$7.50 for Smooth Fine Detail Plastic

$10 for Smoothest Fine Detail Plastic

Minimum price for Parts Bounds Volume*

$0.35 per cm3 for Smooth Fine Detail Plastic

$0.58 per cm3 for Smoothest Fine Detail Plastic

* Parts Bounds Volume is the bounding box volume for each part of a model added together. Models must meet this minimum, which is calculated by multiplying the Parts Bounds Volume by the rate listed above.